Taco Bell: Going Healthy, Staying Real

Taco Bell: Going Healthy, Staying Real

I’ve always had a guilty, secret thing for Taco Bell … and now it is following me to work.

In the past week, I came across two completely unexpected news items about Taco Bell and, in the process, gained a newfound respect for a company that manages to be relentlessly innovative yet never gets pulled off-brand.

Recognizing an increased demand for healthy food, Taco Bell has introduced customizable lower-calorie, high-protein and vegetarian/vegan menus, all geared primarily to online and mobile ordering. A customizable nutrition calculator is available too, empowering customers with a wealth of information and options they never had before.

However, while it was quietly making these health-conscious upgrades, Taco Bell also continued creating seriously bad-ass (and heavily promoted) splurge items like the Doritos Locos Taco or the muy-cheesy Quesalupa. Live Mas, indeed.

As the company has rightly pointed out, their new customization options can also be used to enhance orders with extra cheese, sauce or meat, as well as to cut calories or go vegan. Take your empowerment in any direction you want, folks.

The second revelatory news item is even more recent. Last month, Taco Bell announced it would be opening 300-350 “cantina-style” facilities that serve alcohol – but don’t have a drive through. Seriously. All will feature open kitchens, digital menu boards and local artwork. You can guess the target.

“One of the cool things happening in America right now is the revitalization of urban areas,” said Taco Bell CEO Mike Grams. “We’re seeing millennials moving into urban areas.”

So, will images of the upscale cantinas work their way into the company’s ad campaigns? Perhaps, but I’ll bet my burrito that Taco Bell will stay true to its core brand identity and continue to produce ads showing wildly enticing, wildly naughty “4th Meals” being consumed in classic Taco Bell surroundings.

Categories

Industry IQ Newsletter

Want to know what’s happening in the ad industry? Every month, B+L finds the best thought leadership pieces on creative, media, PR, web and social and puts them into the Industry IQ e-newsletter with highlights and professional perspective. We also include our favorite B+Log post of each month.